Here's a TVC i directed last month using the Letus HD100. When i find some time later i will post my opinion about using the adapter.

The TVC is 38'' in the WMV format (PAL resolution). It aired with a different soundtrack so you might say this is the director's version. :-)

Have a look if you want:

http://www.box.net/public/static/iat9e0lrj6.wmv

That's a fantastic spot, Miltos! Congrats.

wow....thoroughly impressed. Would you mind giving some detail on the entire production such as budget, lenses, camera rig, etc.? Thanks so much. I'm looking to get one of these 35mm adapters but not sure which brand to go with...your spot makes me want to rethink my options :)

You rocked it!

It looked great.

I would be very interested to hear of your Letus experience. As it is the only cheap relay based adaptor it certainly has that edge. I just found the light loss, lens mount and grain to be too much of an issue.

the guys at work (panavision australia) call this the baby genesis, it has a similiar body design and also uses the same tape magazine and codec HDCAM-SR

the guys at work (panavision australia) call this the baby genesis, it has a similiar body design and also uses the same tape magazine and codec HDCAM-SR

that's what they call the hd100?

Wow!!!!! this looks like it has been shot on 16 or 35mm!!

Great image and editing. Any chance of posting the settings/scene file?

Hey guys!

I am glad you liked it!

The scene file was Paolo's True color 3. Since last summer the camera is locked with those settings and 90% of the times i don't have to alter it.

I have more to say about the camera set up but i have to run now...

Soon i will have some free time and will post about it!

This is excellent. Quality work like this makes me reaffirm my confidence in the HD100

Thanks for posting it.


Andrew

Now we're talking! Looking forward to hearing about your experience with the Letus. Which lenses did you use and how was it working with the 1.9 magnification? Great job!

Thank you for posting this. It really looks tremendous, and I will be very happy to read anymore information you have the time to post on further details. The swish pans are so cool! Were these doctored? The move between the 2 boxers looked like it might be a pickup shot matched in there - but in any case it was awesome.
Hope the guys having trouble panning their cameras got a chance to look at this. It's 25p, and I assume 1/50 shutter right?
In any case - great lighting, set, shooting, editing.....

Hi Miltos...
do you use JVC's camera own viewfinder to track the focus in your frame or put another LCD monitor to assist you?

This was amazing. I wish I saw this weeks ago before I started to go on an HVX craze thinking I could get much better images out of the HVX. I dont see as much great stuff coming out of the HD100 camp as I do the HVX. A friend of mine is hell bent on getting rid of his DVX (he does mostly narrative work) and I keep trying to tell him and myself that its more than just the camera- its great direction, acting, scripting, editing, lighting, audio, etc and basically the overall mise-en-scene in a short that create something truly great. Thanks for posting it.

-Alán

Phil Bloom: No problem with light loss or mount for us but there was a small issue with a particular kind of grain for which we are still not sure about it's source.

Hayes Roberts: We used Canon FD lenses which is something i have now regretted.

Sean Adair: No doctoring with the swish pan! :-)

Farishad Latjuba: Both! I was using the viewfinder and my DP was checking an 9'' HD monitor.

I hope tomorrow evening (CET) i will manage to post a page with lots of details about the shooting and some photos.

Gotta run now!

Cheers!

Miltos

Miltos-
Why the regrets with the Canon lenses?

This was amazing. I wish I saw this weeks ago before I started to go on an HVX craze thinking I could get much better images out of the HVX. I dont see as much great stuff coming out of the HD100 camp as I do the HVX. A friend of mine is hell bent on getting rid of his DVX (he does mostly narrative work) and I keep trying to tell him and myself that its more than just the camera- its great direction, acting, scripting, editing, lighting, audio, etc and basically the overall mise-en-scene in a short that create something truly great. Thanks for posting it.

-Alán

This is so true. I think we forget that talent can get excellent results from any camera. We all get so carried away with numbers and colour space techno jargan. I also think the HVX has had a wonderful pedigree heritage (the DVX), which is why its success is so great - an out of the box its results are excellent. The HD100 seems to need some tweaking to get similar results.

I've struggled on and off with thoughts of jumping ship to the HVX becasue of the footage I see, but then I remember that the good footage I'm seeing is all well produced and planned out shots, and not rushed/adhoc shoots like all of my stuff has been - hence the quality is so much better. Taking time and considering lighting, location, composition, camera settings, lenses, etc, and a lot of talent, will pay off and produce excellent stuff.

Miltos obviously has the talent and taken the time to plan this shoot - and the result is excellent - equal to anything produced on any camera, IMHO.

Andrew

Miltos,

This looks very natural and extremely well-done. I love the opening shot. Great job!

I was wondering if you got a chance to put up that page with photos yet. I have two questions:

1.) What are some specific lenses you used as far as focal lengths? Is the 1.9x magnification an issue for you?

2.) What sort of grain were you seeing? Was it the "stuck grain pattern" variety? I don't think the HD100 likes the introduction of extra grain when it encodes footage. What were you seeing?

I don't know how much light the Letus loses, but light loss can be a subjective thing depending on who's using it. Someone used to shooting film or who has regular access to a grip truck for example will not think anything of it. -Just add more. The lighting here was perfect.

I think bypassing the HD100 lens does a lot of good when it comes to adapters and it may make up for a few problems with the Letus. I'm interested to see the results from Dennis's relay project for the Brevis.

Sorry for taking so long to post! My free time is very limited lately... :(

So the page can be found here:
http://pilalitos.blogspot.com/2007/03/letus-hd100-and-red-radio-tvc.html

Chad i hope your questions will be covered!

Catch you later guys!

Miltos

Hi Milto, I am wondering were are you based, in Athens or the US? I remember your post a few months ago with a roof that looked very much like a roof in Athens. Anyway your commercial is really good and congratulations. Milas Ellinika?
Panos

Ellinikotata! hehe

I am based in Athens!

I am based in Indonesia. I was using an M2 adapter with Lomo-Nikon lenses but it has been stolen, cam and everything, a year ago.
I am looking on buying the JVC 16mm adapter but as I see the Letus does a very good job.
Do you have problems with focusing/ light loss etc.?
We are about to start shooting a film about the see gypsies of the Banda archipelago and we need the look of a super 16 camera. Can you give me some information about the Letus. My e-mail is yantra@dps.centrin.net.id, I meen not to bother the forum with info that are already posted.
Thank you, I would like also to hear some news about the reality in Athens.
Anyway if you have the time drop me a line.
Thank you.
Panos Bournias

I will drop you a line soon.

Miltos

Thanks for the info page. It's interesting how well the non-adapter (handheld) footage cuts with the Letus footage. I know the film of grain of which you speak. You can see it when you stop down on my Brevis to 5.6 or when using a higher-grain diffuser. Quyen will probably make a fix for you soon. It's too bad it comes out more in color grading... It's a consideration of the vibrating gg design. Good work though. That's a really nice piece.

looks beautiful. is that 'static dirt' even visible in any of the shots that made into the commercial, because i can't spot anything, or does it show up when you watch it on a bigger screen???

Is that 'static dirt' even visible in any of the shots that made into the commercial?

The 'static dirt' was removed from the shots that made it into the commercial in post production.

It was a dirty job that had to be done... :)

You can see it when you stop down on my Brevis to 5.6 or when using a higher-grain diffuser.

Hey Chad, do you have any Brevis/HD100 footage available that display the static dirt? I d'like to see how it compares to the Letus'.

Miltos, I don't have a great example online right now. It's not really dirt though and I don't think it could be removed in post. It's more of a film of stuck grain over everything. It's barely visible at the end of this diffuser test:
http://www.terpstar.com/test/Brevis/BrevisDiffuserTests.mov If I panned the camera it'd be more visible.

Dennis is now re-working CF3 to get less grain in it, but it's meant for really wide lenses like F1.2-1.8. CF1 is clear up to F5.6 for me. What does your dirt look like?

Thanks for posting this.

Although the footage is highly compressed i think i noticed it better on the last shot. Especialy on the forhead.

That's exactly what the Letus does, only more. I am almost certain now that it's the ground glass's grain.

Hmmm... i wonder if Quyen can fix this...